Time was short, leaving no room for them to slowly search for a safe path. Aside from forcing their way through, no one could come up with a better solution. Updates are released by novelFirｅ.net
Although Qin Sang was skilled in the art of barriers, after catching a glimpse of the barrier’s complexities hidden within the mist, he had no confidence in breaking it within a short period.
Thus, they could only follow Yu Kong's suggestion.
Yan Wu spoke up, "The four of us can form two teams and support each other—"
Before Yan Wu could finish, Yu Kong interrupted, pointing decisively. "Yan Wu, you’ll pair with Daoist Wu Chen. Daoist Master Qingfeng and Shangguan will team up—your combined sword and saber techniques will work better together."
Yan Wu froze, a flicker of dissatisfaction crossing his face. He opened his mouth to protest, but when he met Yu Kong’s icy gaze, he shivered involuntarily. It dawned on him that his ties with Yu Kong were not deep enough to guarantee any preferential treatment.
If his personal grievances jeopardized their mission to retrieve the spiritual herbs, Yu Kong would not hesitate to teach him a harsh lesson.
A faint voice like the buzz of a mosquito sounded in Yan Wu's ear.
Upon receiving Yu Kong's private promise, Yan Wu’s heart surged with joy. His discontent dissipated, and he swept an inconspicuous glance at Qin Sang. Without hesitation, he complied with Yu Kong's orders and moved to Wu Chen’s side.
The others seemed unaware of the subtle exchange between him and Yu Kong.
"Likewise," Wu Chen replied, returning the courtesy, though his smile carried a hint of bitterness. If it weren’t for Yu Kong’s instructions, the last person he’d want as a partner was Yan Wu.
It wasn’t that Wu Chen feared Yan Wu might harm him. Like the others, Yan Wu would weigh whether to assist or abandon him in danger. However, Yan Wu was Yu Kong's man.
Wu Chen couldn't help but worry—if an accident occurred during their attempt to breach the array, would Yu Kong hold him accountable?
Not only would he need to protect himself, but he’d also have to keep an eye on saving Yan Wu, significantly increasing his risk.
Wu Chen sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Shangguan Lifeng approached Qin Sang, lightly raising his long blade. "Daoist Master Qingfeng, I’m not very familiar with your swordsmanship. If my coordination is lacking, I’d appreciate your guidance."
Qin Sang clasped his hands in response. "You’re too modest, Daoist Shangguan. I’ll also make an effort to coordinate with you. For now, since we don’t know what lies ahead, let’s decide our strategy once we’re inside."
"Sound advice, Daoist Master," Shangguan Lifeng agreed.
Being a man of few words, Shangguan Lifeng sheathed his blade and fell silent.
With the plan settled, the five of them assumed their positions: Qin Sang and Shangguan Lifeng on the left, Wu Chen and Yan Wu on the right, serving as Yu Kong’s vanguard.
The barrier’s power was fairly uniform around the mountain, so the group randomly chose a spot and stepped into the barrier.
There was no disorienting upheaval. Darkness engulfed their vision for a moment before a sudden brightness erupted, followed by a wave of intense heat. A stream of green and purple flames descended from the sky.
The group, ever vigilant, reacted instantly as they sensed the heat wave.
Several blasts of spiritual power struck the stream of flames almost simultaneously, scattering it into fragments. They quickly pushed the residual flames to the side and surveyed their surroundings.
To their astonishment, they had entered a world engulfed in raging flames.
Flames filled every direction—above, below, and on all sides—enveloping the entire realm in unbearable heat.
These flames burned freely, without fuel, drifting aimlessly in the void, yet never extinguishing.
The flames around them weren’t densely packed, and only a few streams of fire roamed nearby. By sheer bad luck, they had startled one of these streams upon entering. Thankfully, it was not very powerful, and they dispatched it with ease.
However, the flames grew significantly denser farther out, merging into an unbroken sea of fire.
The blazing inferno roared, stretching endlessly, blotting out the sky and sun.
The flames in all directions varied in color. Some were the same greenish-purple hue they had encountered earlier, while others were a grayish-white, and still others burned with a normal crimson red.
In total, there were eight different flame colors emanating from the eight directions—north, south, east, west, and the diagonals—arranged in a perfectly symmetrical pattern. Together, they formed a flaming Eight Trigrams that surrounded them.
Yu Kong had been quietly observing the changing flames. "Hmm. The scene conjured within this barrier feels somewhat familiar. The last time I passed through the protective array, I encountered a blazing fire array just ."
The sight of the formidable flames had made everyone uneasy at first, but Yu Kong's words brought them a glimmer of hope.
Wu Chen let out a small sigh of relief and asked, "Senior Yu, have you found a way to break this barrier?"
To his dismay, Yu Kong shook his head slowly. "Not quite. While this barrier appears to share some origins with the protective array, there are significant differences. You’ll need to venture inside and test it further. Based on my previous experience, these eight flame colors likely correspond to eight separate paths. No matter which path you take, you’ll eventually find a gate. However, only one of these gates leads to the true exit. Choosing the wrong one will trigger the next layer of the barrier, significantly increasing the difficulty of breaking it. Even worse, this is just one layer among many. A single mistake could set off a chain reaction, causing the entire barrier to destabilize, placing us all in extreme danger."
Wu Chen's face turned pale. He exclaimed in alarm, "The first layer of the barrier is already this perilous…"
Yu Kong chuckled faintly. "No need to worry, Daoist Wu. As long as we follow the right method, breaking this barrier isn’t too challenging. Now, the four of you will enter the sea of flames in pairs. There’s no need to rush to the end—just venture as far as you can safely and remain inside for a while. This will allow me to observe the barrier’s changes and determine which is the false gate and which is the true exit. If you encounter danger, retreat immediately, and I will do everything I can to rescue you."
With that, Yu Kong sat cross-legged where he stood and pulled out three small flags, placing them in the ground around him.
The flags formed a barrier of cloud-like energy to shield him from the roaming flames, enabling him to focus entirely on observing the barrier’s fluctuations.
Yu Kong’s eyes gleamed with sharp determination as he nodded, signaling for them to begin.
The eight directions showed no discernible difference from the outside. Apart from the varying colors, the flames seemed identical, so the choice of path seemed arbitrary.
Wu Chen and Yan Wu stepped into the grayish-white flames, while Qin Sang and Shangguan Lifeng, exchanging a few words, headed straight into the greenish-purple sea of fire ahead.
Qin Sang activated his ebony sword, while Shangguan Lifeng gripped his saber with both hands.
Having worked together earlier to hunt Cloud Beasts, they had some understanding of each other’s techniques. While far from perfectly synchronized, they were capable of basic cooperation.
Sword qi and saber qi crisscrossed as they worked together to scatter several streams of flames rushing toward them. Their figures advanced into the forefront of the fiery sea.
The fire stretched endlessly, leaving not even the smallest gap.
Countless tongues of flame lashed out from the fiery sea, licking at the spiritual power shielding their bodies.
Surrounded by the blazing heat, even the hair on their bodies seemed to curl slightly.
"Daoist Master Qingfeng," Shangguan Lifeng suggested, "if we advance side by side and encounter danger at the same time, we may struggle to respond. It might be better for one of us to take the lead while the other follows. That way, we can better support each other."